LMAIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ms. Margaret Steele, President
Head of School
Sacred Heart Schools
6250 N. Sheridan Rd.
Chicago, IL 60660
Ms. Steele became a teacher to accompany children as they navigate developmental stages and discover who they are as people and learners. She most loves those opportunities to connect individually with students, whether through a moment of laughter or a serious conversation.
Ms. Steele worked at Sacred Heart as a teacher and Primary School Head for 18 years then served as Head of School at Woodlands Academy for six years. She returned to Sacred Heart as Head of Schools in 2021.
Fraser Coffeen, Vice President
Administrative Director
Chicago Waldorf School
5200 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
Fraser is the Administrative Director (co-Head of School) at Chicago Waldorf School, a PK-12 Waldorf day school in Chicago. He was previously a MS/HS Division Head and Assistant Head of School at Roycemore School (Evanston, IL), and Middle School Division Head and the Assistant Head of School for Academics and Auxiliary Programs at Canterbury School (Fort Wayne, IN). Education is a second career for Fraser, as he began working in non-profit arts administration including marketing and development work at Steppenwolf Theatre among others. He has previously served on boards for The Building Stage Theater and Three Rivers Musical Theater. Fraser holds a BA in English from Northwestern University and an MA in Teaching from National Louis University.
Alex Sheridan, Secretary
Associate Head of School for Advancement
Lake Forest Country Day School
145 S. Green Bay Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045-3053
Alex Sheridan has served as Director of Enrollment, Marketing, & Financial Aid at Lake Forest Country Day School since 2018. An alumnus of independent schools, Alex’s career spans 15 years as an administrator, teacher, counselor, and coach at schools in New York and Chicago. Alex holds an undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graduate business degree from Quinnipiac University, in addition to participating in the ISACS Leadership Academy through the Kellogg Center for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University.
Gia Anayes
Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications
North Shore Country Day School
310 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, IL 60093
Gia is the Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications at North Shore Country Day, a junior kindergarten through 12th grade independent school in Winnetka, IL. She oversees the school’s brand, storytelling channels and marketing efforts. Previously, she held a variety of positions related to communications and media production at Latin School of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, Travelzoo, WBBM-TV and Harpo Studios. She has an M.A. in journalism and a B.A. in communications, both from DePaul University.
Tayé Brown
Director of School Culture
The Ancona School
4770 S. Dorchester Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
Tayé Brown is a lifelong educator and learner who has been working in an independent school setting the past 20 years.
In her practice she is a progressive educator who has been able to leverage that experience in her current role as Director of School Culture at the Ancona School. One of the central focuses of Tayé’s work is organizational culture and helping institutions elevate connections between their mission and program.
Embedded in her approach is a deep commitment to Social Justice and Equity. These are values which are integral to the work she does and essential for building strong communities and finding holistic solutions that are people centered.
Geordie Jones
Assistant Head of School
Chicago Jesuit Academy
5058 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60044
Geordie has been working as an educator for over 20 years. Born and raised in Colorado, he attended the University of Denver where he majored in History and Russian Language and Literature. He moved to the Midwest for graduate school, receiving an M.A. in Russian history from Indiana University in Bloomington. Geordie began his teaching career while working as a visiting lecturer in the Gender Studies department at IU, teaching classes on feminism and LGBTQ+ history. During graduate school Geordie volunteered with younger students and found that he preferred working with that age group. After relocating to Chicago, he received his Montessori adolescent training through the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center and became one of the founding teachers of the middle school program at Rogers Park Montessori. His interest in social justice issues led him to serve on the inaugural teacher advisory board for Teaching Tolerance (now known as Learning For Justice), the educational arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Geordie taught at Rogers Park Montessori for 18 years and was the Middle School Director there 2019-2025 before joining the faculty at Chicago Jesuit. He lives in Rogers Park with his partner Nick and their dog. Outside of school, Geordie enjoys reading, music, and travel.
Amanda LePard
Director of Enrollment Management
The Chicago Academy for the Arts
1010 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642-5414
Amanda has served as a teacher and administrator in Chicago area schools for over 15 years. Prior to her role as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Roycemore School for 10 years, and now as the Director of Enrollment Management at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, she was a classroom teacher and professional dancer. Having the unique opportunity to bring her experience as an educator and artist to a prestigious performing arts high school such as The Academy is a dream come true for her.
Amanda is continuously inspired by the students and families she works with, and each day she is reminded of what is possible when students are given the opportunity to take an active role in their education. Also a certified yoga teacher, Amanda finds ways to incorporate yoga and mindfulness into programming at The Academy, further connecting with her colleagues and students.
Robyn McCloud-Springer
Head of School
425 Dempster Street
Evanston, IL 60201-4706
Robyn has been Head of School since 2013 where she has experienced the joy and responsibilities of serving Chiaravalle in many different capacities. Since arriving as a Lower Elementary Teacher in 1997, she has been the K-8 Program Director, Assistant Head of School, and a parent.
She earned a BA in English at the University of Arizona, an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University, AMS Elementary 1 Certification, and Nonprofit Management Certification from Northwestern University.
Robyn is passionate about fostering more peaceful, responsible, and healthy students who positively impact their human family and environment.
Dr. Kirsty Montgomery
Head of School
1400 Maple Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Kirsty is a British-born Chicago-area educator who loves music, history and coffee. In spite of dropping history at secondary school on account of it being utterly boring, she holds a BA in political science from Northwestern University, and a MA in social science, MA in history, and Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. As an educator she has taught history at academic institutions including Oakton Community College, Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, The University of Chicago, and the Illinois Math and Science Academy. Kirsty currently serves as Head of School at The Avery Coonley School, a PreK-8 independent school for gifted students in Downers Grove, IL. She has presented widely on leadership, gifted education, and interdisciplinary curricula.
David Muniz
Director of Technology
Lake Forest Country Day School
145 S. Green Bay Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045-3053
David grew up on a steady dose of 80’s television shows, DOS 3.0, Windows 3.1, BBS, free Prodigy and AOL hours, flashlight tag, Alfred’s Fantastic Familiar Folk Songs, Souza, Wagner, Mozart, the Cure, Depeche Mode, NIN, soccer in a football school, the only brown boy in the room of “smart kids,” and a feeling that he could be and do more.
Before coming to education, he spent 8 years teaching musicians and artists how to be creative with technology. As a teacher, he is most emotional when students have a chance to engage in their passions, especially as they are discovering them. “I see them as colleagues as we learn and grow together. As an administrator, I see my work as two classrooms. One where I am the teacher, and the faculty and community are my students, as I facilitate their growth and development. In the second classroom, I am the student, learning from, while serving the needs of, the teachers and the larger community.”
David holds a BFA in Digital Design from AIU, an MEd in Educational Technology from the University of Missouri, and an MEd in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.
John Novick
Head of School
North Park Elementary School
2017 W. Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
John has served as Head of School of North Park Elementary School (preschool through eighth grade) in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood since July 2021. He was previously Head of Intermediate & Middle Schools at the Francis W. Parker School in Lincoln Park, Assistant Head of School at Roycemore School in Evanston, Director of Admission & Advancement at Le Mans Academy in Northwest Indiana, and Humanities Teacher and Upper School Chair at The Harvard School in Hyde Park-Kenwood (all ISACS schools). John previously served as a volunteer board member for the Midwest Boarding Schools Association and the Catholic Boarding Schools Association and has also served on the ISACS Administrative Services Committee. He has worked as a journalist covering local school boards and government for The Times of Northwest Indiana. John holds a BA in English and an M.Ed. in the Historical Foundations of Education from Loyola University-Chicago.
Dr. Ben Ottenweller
Head of School
The Stanley Clark School
3123 Miami Street
South Bend, IN 46614
Ben Ottenweller is the Head of School at The Stanley Clark School. He brings a unique perspective on the student learning journey, having taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and served in leadership roles across all three divisions as well. Ben earned his B.S. in Elementary Education from Indiana University, Masters in School Administration from Ball State University, and his Ed.D. from Vanderbilt University. His extensive experience in classrooms and administration informs his student-centered approach, fostering curiosity, collaboration, and critical thinking throughout the Stanley Clark School community and beyond in the independent school world. He is an active contributor to the broader independent school field as not only a Board Member with LMAIS, but also with the Indiana Association of Independent Schools (IAIS), sharing expertise on leadership, strategic planning, accreditation, curriculum design, and creating inclusive, engaging learning environments that prepare students to thrive.
Mr. Jason Patera
Head of School
The Cooper School
13 Oakdale Place
Charleston, SC 29402
Jason Patera is the former Head of School at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he served in various capacities for more than two decades.
A jazz pianist and drummer, Patera is an alum of Berklee College of Music. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for excellence in teaching, and was named a Golden Apple Leader of Distinction in 2018. In addition to LMAIS, Patera serves on the boards of Arts Schools Network and Live Grit Soars, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people in underserved communities build physical and emotional strength through sport.
An avid endurance athlete, Patera is the author of I Can Do Hard Things, or: How Much It Hurt to Run 100.6 Miles for Chicago Athlete Magazine. Inspired by Academy students, his TED talk Life at the Intersection of Excellence, Purpose, and Passion describes the power of rejecting mediocrity, defying our limits, dreaming audaciously, and loving the journey.
Priyanka Rupani
Assistant Principal
Francis W. Parker School
222 W. Webster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614-3820
Priyanka Rupani is the Assistant Principal at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Prior to working at Parker, Priyanka served as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where she is an alum. Previously, she served as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice at the Friends School of Baltimore.
Priyanka completed her B.A. from Northwestern University and her M.S. Ed from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught math and African-American history to high schoolers and was a member of the 2010 Teach for America Corps in Philadelphia.
Priyanka is also a faculty member for the National Association of Independent Schools’ annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference and a Principal Consultant for the Glasgow Group. Through this work, she consults on topics of DEI and education for organizations nationwide.
Elizabeth Shutters
Instructional Coach
Sacred Heart Schools
6250 N. Sheridan Rd.
Chicago, IL 60660
Beth held various teaching and administrative roles at Roycemore since 2006 when she started as the Technology Coordinator. As Director of Curriculum and Innovation, Beth coordinated Roycemore’s signature learning programs, the Upper School January Short Term and Middle School Personal Passion Project. Prior to Roycemore, Beth served as a math teacher for Chicago Public Schools. Beth enjoys teaching and presenting about design thinking, passion projects, and effective professional development. She also presents at local and regional educational technology conferences and is a Google Certified Trainer. She especially enjoys exploring innovation and instilling a love of lifelong learning in students and teachers.
Dr. Sally Sharp
Executive Director
Former Head of Student Life
Sacred Heart Schools
Sally is a product of independent school education, having graduated from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in Education from The University of Georgia, after her undergraduate degree at Davidson College in Art History, Criticism, and Conservation.
Sally spent 20 years in college administration, having worked at Bridgewater College, Miami University, and the University of Michigan.
She then moved to the independent school world of work at Sacred Heart Schools as Head of Student Life. After 15 years at Sacred Heart Schools, she has retired and is a member-at-large on the LMAIS Board of Directors.
Among her many areas of interest are access to and building co-curricular programs to support the development of young people.
